Textiles and Clothing Part 16

[Sidenote: Beaded Seam]

Beaded seams used for fine white work have a line of beading overhanded between gores, hems, or gathers. The hem along the seam should be folded on the right side, leaving a perfectly flat surface to iron on the wrong side, and finished with an ornamental st.i.tch covering the hem.

[Sidenote: Slot Seams]

The slot seam, used in cloth dresses and jackets, requires exact basting with silk or very fine thread with small, even st.i.tches. If a coa.r.s.e thread is used, the material will be badly marked. After basting, press the seam open as if it had been st.i.tched, and baste the strap or under strip of the dress material (which has been cut perfectly straight and even) over the wrong side of the seam, having the center of the seam on the center of the strap. St.i.tch any width desired beyond the center through the three thicknesses. This will hold the seam in position. Now remove the bastings from the seam and the slot effect is complete. If desired, there may be a double row of st.i.tching, an extra row on the edge of the fold or plait. These seams may be finished at the bottom with arrow heads or st.i.tched designs. The lines of machine st.i.tching should not end without some ornament to _appear_ to hold the plait.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SLOT SEAM FINISHED WITH ARROW HEAD]

[Ill.u.s.tration: FLANNEL SEAMS AND HEMS

Finished with various Ornamental St.i.tches.]

[Sidenote: Lapped Seam]

In the lapped seam the edges are folded each within the other or one over the other so that both sides are alike. If made of heavy material, the raw edges are left unturned; in muslin or linen the edges are inturned, lapped, basted and the hem st.i.tched on both edges or hemmed down on both sides by hand.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLACKETS

_A_--Made by folding a wide hem over a narrow one; _B_--Tape faced sewing for the purpose of a gusset. Method of folding the tape shown.]

[Sidenote: Flannel Seams]

Flannel seams should be st.i.tched, opened and pressed _flat_, either on the right or wrong side of the garment. If on the right side, taffeta ribbon should be basted over the seam, so that the raw edges of flannel will not show, and cat st.i.tched or b.u.t.tonhole st.i.tched on both sides of the ribbon, or any fancy st.i.tch--not too long--may be used. This is the Dorothy seam. For the seam on the wrong side, the edges should be cat st.i.tched with fine thread. Any ornamental st.i.tch may be used on the right side of the seam. Always press flannel seams and hems before finishing. Flannel should never be hem st.i.tched.

PLACKETS

A placket is an opening in a garment allowing it to be put on. The simplest placket is made by cutting a slit and folding a wide hem over a narrow one turned on the face of the goods; this makes a pleat below the vent. There should be a double line of st.i.tching across the bottom of the hem to strengthen the placket.

[Sidenote: Tape Faced Placket]

The tape faced placket is stronger and may be used in children's drawers, etc., in place of a gusset to strengthen the end of the opening. A single piece of tape folded back as for a loop is st.i.tched along all edges, making an opening without a lap. This offers as much resistance as a gusset and is more quickly done.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FACED PLACKET

_A_--Wrong side, opened, showing tape; _B_--Right side showing on-set piece; _aa_ and _bb_ the same ends of the tape; 1-2 method of folding and cutting end of on-set piece.]

[Sidenote: Faced Placket]

In a third kind of placket, the opening is faced with a continuous piece of tape on both sides and finished with a piece of material on the outside. See ill.u.s.tration. This makes a strong and simple placket. When a tape cannot be used, a hem or facing may be made on the under side of the opening and a facing on the upper side, over which the on-set piece is st.i.tched. The on-set piece and facing may be cut from one piece, but the fitting is more troublesome. In figured goods, the piece set on should match the pattern exactly.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SKIRT PLACKET WITH LAP]

A simple placket for underwear is made from a single strip of the goods put on like an extension hem. On drawers it may be turned in at the b.u.t.tonhole end, but not st.i.tched down except at the band.

The placket of a skirt should have an underlap extending well below the opening.

SEWING ON BANDS

[Sidenote: Gathering]

Divide the top of unhemmed edge of the garment in halves and mark with a cross st.i.tch, notch or pin. Gather from the placket to the middle of the front gore, if a skirt, ap.r.o.n, or dress. Take a new thread and gather the remainder. Put in a second gathering thread one-eighth to one-fourth of an inch below the first. Two gathering threads are better than one and they should be longer than the length of s.p.a.ce to be gathered.

Stroke or lay the gathers above and below the threads. Divide the band and pin the middle to the center of the garment, placing the right side of the band on the wrong side of the garment. Pin in the middle and at each end, secure the gathering threads by winding around the pin, adjust the gathers, and baste between the gathering threads. St.i.tch just below the line of basting. Fold the band over on the right side, press, baste over the line of st.i.tching, press again, then st.i.tch on the right side after having turned in both ends and over-sewed. Turn the _top_ of the band over on the right side one-eighth or one-fourth of an inch and st.i.tch securely. This upper fold keeps the edge from wearing and stretching and is a stay for children's skirts and drawers where b.u.t.ton holes are used and serves as a finish for the top of the band.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FINISHES

_a_--Bias Facing; _b_--Band on Gathers; _c_--Corded edge.]

For flannel, pleating or gathers may be used to put fullness into a band. Two rows of gathering threads should be used and the st.i.tches should not be too fine. The band should be made of cotton or at least lined with it to avoid clumsiness and prevent shrinking. Ruffles are set in hems, etc., in the same manner.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DRAW TAPE FINISH FOR UNDER SKIRT]

[Sidenote: Drawing Tapes]

In finishing the top of an underskirt, many like to dispense with the placket and fitted band. This may be done by using drawing tapes at the back. The upper edge is faced with a piece of material which should be bias in front to accommodate it to the curve, but may be straight across the back. Work a b.u.t.ton hole at each side of the back, insert a tape through one b.u.t.ton hole and draw it over an inch beyond the opposite one and fasten securely by two lines of st.i.tching across the tape. A second tape is put through the other b.u.t.ton hole and fastened in the same way.

By pulling the tape on each side the fullness may be adjusted.

[Sidenote: Bias Facings]

All facings around curves, such as arm holes and neck, should be a true bias which is cut by holding the warp threads diagonally across the woof threads. These strips for facings, pipings, ruffles, etc., should be cut exactly even in width. All bands, ruffles, etc., of serge, twilled, or diagonal materials should be cut _across_ the twill and not with it, in order to have the ruffle hang well.

FASTENINGS

The standard fastenings are b.u.t.tons and b.u.t.ton holes, hooks and eyes or hand made loops, lacings through rings and eyelet holes, loops over b.u.t.tons, and fancy frogs, clasps, studs, ball and socket, "notta-hooks,"

etc.

[Sidenote: Making b.u.t.ton Holes]

b.u.t.ton holes should be carefully measured and marked before cutting.

They should be a little longer than the diameter of the b.u.t.ton for flat b.u.t.tons and one and one-quarter the diameter for round b.u.t.tons. Having decided upon the distance apart they are to be placed, cut a marker from a piece of cardboard and measure off the s.p.a.ce, marking with pins, French chalk, pencil, or thread. The distance from the edge (one-fourth inch), as well as the length of the b.u.t.ton hole may also be marked with the card. The scissors should be sharp, the hand must be steady, and the cut should be made with one firm slash, not with two or three jerks.

Great care must be taken that each b.u.t.ton hole is of the same length.

The goods should be cut to a thread, for it is impossible to make a neat b.u.t.tonhole if it is improperly cut. In cutting a round end b.u.t.tonhole for thick goods, a punch may be used for the end, after which the remainder of the b.u.t.tonhole is cut directly on a line with the center of the circle.